The Regressor's Ice Is Golden - Chapter 31

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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031

It wasn’t as though Cha Seohee had never attracted admiration from her seniors.
She had a naturally bubbly personality and was good at cute appeals.
Her head could be a bit scattered, but that was the sort of thing the older girls could brush off as innocent charm.
Yet there was one burdensome keyword that overwhelmed all of these attractions in a single stroke.
A heir to the TK Group conglomerate family.
Every so often, people made jokes online and played balance games between the group chairman and celebrities.
[A child who begs you to come out while crying vs. Cha Yong-jin who asks if you want to hear some good news]
Things like that.
But as they say, what’s comedy from afar becomes tragedy up close.
When word got around that she’d spent money on a training trip to Canada, any warmth that had existed quietly transformed into distance.
What figure skater, exactly, goes to a training camp abroad and treats herself to foie gras and non-alcoholic cocktails?
It wasn’t technically illegal or anything, but it felt perfectly calibrated to be annoying.
As a result, Cha Seohee had to watch a third-year junior senior whose name she could barely remember thank Kim Hasel profusely.
“Hey, thanks to you I made up with my boyfriend. Want anything to eat?”
“Oh, that’s too much. But do you have those needle tips you use, senior……?”
During the times when the coach wasn’t around, there was always someone hovering near Kim Hasel.
They and Kim Hasel chatted endlessly about relationship advice and training talk alike.
Up to that point, Cha Seohee could’ve dismissed it as par for the course.
Maybe she just had a talent for socializing.
She didn’t know that the person who’d been ruthlessly navigating harsh adult society was a twenty-nine-year-old woman.
Just as Cha Seohee was trying hard to smile and convince herself it was nothing serious, another bombshell—by her standards, at least—landed.
“That’s it! Finally you’re getting it.”
Lee Jiswoo had successfully corrected her Lutz Edge and stuck the landing.
The rotation was still wavering on the edge of a quarter, but it was significant progress.
Even that coach famous for being difficult was offering praise.
And not long after that.
“Whoa, check it! Yes!”
Coach Park threw his arms up in excitement.
Kim Hasel, who’d landed her Triple Flip on a shallow inside edge close to neutral, laughed brightly.
“You, your edge! Finally!”
“Yes! Finally!”
The coach quickly showed her what had been recorded on the tablet, and the athlete played it back with a smile.
Lee Jiswoo also came over to celebrate with her.
“Really? You landed it?”
“Yes. It’s thanks to you, senior.”
“Oh, stop—what did I even do?”
The three of them exchanged warm high-fives and caught up with each other.
“So if I keep skating like this from now on, it should be fine, right?”
It was a heartwarming scene, but Cha Seohee found she couldn’t enjoy it.
Only after witnessing it could she suddenly understand something.
That girl had never once looked this comfortable around someone her own age from the same school.
Not since the qualifying competition when they first met, and not since.
That relaxed expression made it clear—the way she’d treated Cha Seohee all this time was no different from how you’d look at a chicken with a cow.
Seeing that smile, the truth became undeniable.
‘Huh.’
Cha Seohee took off her blade guards and stepped away from the rink.
A sense of betrayal washed over her, as if she’d been hit across the head.
Kim Hasel and the seniors hadn’t really done anything wrong, but that fact barely mattered.
She’d been subjected to an unintentional cold shoulder, that was all.
Cha Seohee emptied the last of the water from her bottle and crumpled the plastic with a decisive crunch.

“I’m curious about something—can I ask you?”
“Hmm?”
So that evening, the moment I returned to the dorm, I was hit with an out-of-nowhere question.
Before I could even respond, Cha Seohee asked irritably.
“Why do you only give me short answers when we talk? You talk fine with everyone else.”
“I do?”
“Oh.”
I’d half-expected it, but I couldn’t believe it was actually true.
It hit me all over again.
Middle schoolers were the type whose friends were their whole world.
They’d even pity a kid eating lunch alone.
And if that person believed the world revolved around them, well—it’d be even worse.
I switched on the desk fan and sat down in my chair.
“So you were hurt by that?”
“Of course I was! Do you hate me or something? You chat away just fine with seniors who are hard to approach, so why won’t you even talk to me?”
“Well…….”
I hesitated for a moment.
Granted, I couldn’t like Cha Seohee—but this version of her wasn’t at fault for that.
So I awkwardly drew out my apology, then bowed my head.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d feel that way—.”
“You’re doing it right now! We’re roommates and you just keep your distance. Don’t half-apologize and move on.”
“Cha Seohee.”
While I was struggling for words, Cha Seohee bolted upright from her bed.
“Are you jealous because I took your Gold Medal?”
…….
This girl was something else.
A thin whine pierced the air like a scream, and reason unsheathed its blade.
‘Why is she even bringing up the preliminary medal now.’
My sense of proportion had left the building, so I couldn’t even think of what to say.
Cha Seohee went on, her voice wavering with tears.
“You’re not going to live like this, are you? If you have a problem with the judging, you should take it up with the judges, not another athlete. It’s so petty.”
No—if I let this slide, my own mental health would follow suit straight out the door.
“Hey.”
I stood up slowly and shoved my hands into my pockets.
“So are you saying right now that you ripped the Gold Medal away from me?”
“What?”
“Think about it. If you’re asking whether I’m jealous because you took it—”
Cha Seohee’s pupils quivered as our eyes met.
“—that sounds like you’re admitting it was originally mine and you took it from me.”
“…….”
“Did you really think that Gold Medal was something I’d consider ‘taken’ from me?”
Looking back at the protocols I received after the preliminary competition, I had no real complaints.
The scoring overall was fair, and I got exactly what I deserved.
I knew where I’d made mistakes during the competition, and the judges saw it the same way, so there was nothing to dispute.
Besides, I’d cleanly secured two Grand Prix Series Entry Passes.
So what made her think I was harboring any sense of victimhood?
I looked into Cha Seohee’s eyes coldly.
“I think I got what I earned back then. Don’t you?”
“This is—!”
“If you won’t even acknowledge your own score, why expect anyone else to?”
At that point, I sighed and gathered up fresh clothes to change into.
It was summer, sweat-drenched and stifling, and I didn’t need this nonsense.
A cold shower was desperately needed.
When I came out of the shower, Cha Seohee seemed to have calmed down a bit.
But she glared at me the whole time I was shaking out my hair to dry it.
And the moment the damp towel went into the hamper.
“Let’s compete.”
“What?”
“In the Grand Prix Series!”
Cha Seohee sat on her bed and looked me square in the eye.
“Our first competition is at different venues, right? You’re in Thailand, I’m in Azerbaijan. And our second competition—we’re both in Japan.”
“Ha.”
I laughed dryly and understood.
Athlete-style—let the scores do the talking.
“Never mind the Japan match for now, but what’s the standard for the first one? Final rankings or total points?”
“……Let’s go with total points.”
The combined score of the short program and free skating.
And she was suggesting they compete once more at a tournament being held in Nagoya, Japan.
“If I win, be nice to me.”
“You’re betting your competition results on something like that? What happens if you lose?”
Cha Seohee sniffled and pulled out a tissue.
Since no answer came, I sat quietly on the bed.
“Fine. If I win, then you stop meddling in my personal relationships. Like the world revolves around you.”
“What?”
“Go to sleep. Don’t be upset.”
I turned off the room light and quickly lay down in bed.
Fortunately, Cha Seohee, still muttering her irritation, settled down to sleep.
I couldn’t figure out what accident had happened while I was showering that led to betting on competition results.
I didn’t understand it, but it had worked out well.
I’d gained legitimate grounds to shut the kid up.
‘I need to win the Gold Medal in Thailand now.’
And it had to be Super Clean.
There would be a lot to prepare for that.
My knees were starting to ache, but regardless.
‘Status Window.’

[Kim Hasel]
Age: 13 (Born February 27)
Height: 163cm
Weight: 48kg
Secondary Sexual Development Progress: 36%

Strength: B+
Endurance: B-
Flexibility: B-
Precision: B+
Presence: B

[Biological Metronome] (D/Active)

Special Notes: Regresser, Unyielding Spirit
!Status Abnormality! Body changes due to secondary sexual development
[Points: 3]

Before entering the Athletes’ Village, I’d burned through one Special Ability in a bet with my coach.
Now that I think about it, that’s a bit of a waste.
‘Should have picked a passive one instead of active.’
As the saying goes, there’s always a use for anything if you have it on hand — I would’ve found some way to put it to use.
It’s unfortunate, but it’s in the past now, so there’s nothing I can do about it.
In exchange, I gained something by clearing a quest.

[!A new Quest has been assigned!]
[2. Complete the Triple-Triple Combination Jump]
[Quest 2 Reward: Guaranteed Selection of 1 Special Ability (E~C rank)]

Exactly these.
The quest to complete the Triple-Triple Combination Jump.
I’d already cleared it, but I’d shelved it because there were more pressing concerns for a while.
I was just timing when to draw the reward, and right now was perfect.
With what little skill I had, I’d corrected my flip edge, and with about two weeks plus a bit remaining before the Grand Prix Series Thailand tournament.
‘But if it’s a guaranteed selection, does that mean I choose the rank?’
[The rank is random. Once the rank is drawn, you select one Special Ability from among those of that rank.]
So it was either jackpot on success or bust on failure.
Since it was already late, I decided to just draw the rank tonight and sleep.
The Status Window displayed a spinning wheel divided into three zones, and I reached out from under the blanket and pressed it.
With a whirring sound as it spun, a grand chime rang out.
And then it chimed—ding-dong!

[D-Rank Confirmed! Would you like to see the list of D-Rank Special Abilities?]

“…….”
Neither a failure nor a success—an ambiguous grade, really.
While I was at it, I skimmed through the list with half-lidded eyes.
The titles looked impressive, but most of them turned out to be useless when you actually thought about it.
I marked down a few that seemed worth something.
It was an ability I’d thought too expensive for a D-Rank—but it had practical applications beyond just composition points.
I’d kept it in reserve because it seemed a waste to spend Points on.
‘Do I have to choose right now?’
[Oh, no need for that]
‘Right.’
Then I could take my time and think it over carefully.
I rubbed my eyes and burrowed back under the blankets.
And so the first day of school arrived.
Later, I’d realize this was the eye of the storm…….

***

Cha Jinhee and Cha Seohee’s Mother had begun to notice something odd about their daughter.
Starting from the first semester and throughout the entire break, her arrival home had grown later and later.
She claimed to be at the library, but according to the driver, that didn’t quite add up.
She’d mentioned the academy was doing a special overnight study retreat, but when Cha Seohee’s Mother checked, there’d been no such event at all.
So one Sunday evening, she spoke to her daughter directly.
“Cha Jinhee. It’s good that you’re studying hard, but come home before midnight.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve noticed you’re coming home late even on days you don’t go to the academy. You’re a young girl—you don’t know how dangerous the world can be…….”
“Understood. I just have a lot of homework.”
Cha Jinhee nodded absently and headed off to shower.
As the sound of running water echoed from the bathroom, Cha Seohee’s Mother rose from her seat.
Her daughter’s phone was charging in her own room.
With practiced ease, she unlocked the pattern and installed an app.
A parental monitoring app for children’s smartphones.
One that could hide its icon.
Confirming the app was installed, Cha Seohee’s Mother set the phone down and left without a trace.
Meanwhile, Cha Jinhee was drying her hair in the other room, unaware of anything.
She had no idea that her text messages were about to be laid bare in her mother’s hands.
[Kim Hasel: You’ve done so much work. You must have been exhausted just going to school—when did you manage to fix all this?]
[Park Jiho: Jinjin~ are you coming by our place today too? If you are, help me out a bit, please ㅠㅠㅠ]
The Regresser’s Golden Ice Rink | Episode 31
E-Book Publication Date | 2026.06.05

Author | Korkarolli
Publisher | Heo Heung-beom, Park Geon-won
Published by | Potent

Address | [04783] 9F, 11-gil 8, Yeonmujiang, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Phone | 02-6320-8500
Fax | 02-6320-8585

UCI | G720:N+A101-20260514092.0031
List Price | 100 Won

ⓒ Korkarolli 2026

This e-book is protected by copyright law.
This e-book is published under contract with the author and is prohibited from unauthorized reproduction, distribution, sharing, or public transmission without written consent from both parties.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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